What’s new for Futuroscope in 2018?

The start of the 2018 season is just around the corner! Futuroscope have invited us to their presentation of the 2018 season held in Barcelona and we were there to know first hand what’s new at the French theme park.

by Alex

YEAR OVERVIEW, STRATEGY AND PARK PHILOSOPHY

Source: futuroscope.com

Futuroscope is the 2nd busiest theme park in France, just behind Disneyland Paris. This year they achieved their goal: reach 2 million guests on their 30th anniversary and the objective is to maintain this number for the following seasons. The park has done a billing of 108 million € this year which at least 10% is invested into new rides (last year they used the 13%).

As for the guests, this season the French client came from further away, meaning that not only people living close to the park visit it. The visits from the capital, Paris, have also been notable.

The park’s philosophy is based on constant change. Personally, I visited the park 4 years ago and I feel like returning because half of the rides weren’t there yet! Somehow, the park motto is “Learn and have fun”. It is always intended to have an educational background in their actions, while taking into account the leisure part of it.

NEW 2018 ATTRACTIONS

One of the main new activities this season is located at the Kinémax, the most important IMAX theatre at the complex. With a recently renewed 4K Laser projector, Through Thomas Pesquet’s Eyes, is a movie co-produced by Futuroscope about the youngest French astronaut on the European Space Agency.

When I went in 2014 I was able to watch the IMAX documentary Mission Hubble and I loved it. I’m sure that with the advances in projecting systems and the 4K resolution, Thomas Pesquet’s documentary will look even more awesome!

Source: futuroscope.com

The park also wants to expand their shows lineup:

Having started in 2017, Drone Academy is an automatic drone show, discovered in Las Vegas and brought to the most technological park in Europe. This year a new version of the show is performed.

Fly Jump is a show full of acrobatics and impossible jumps into a pool. It will only be performed on July and August.

Source: futuroscope.com

But the name of the game this season is Sebastien Loeb Racing Experience. Futuroscope also jumped on the bandwagon of Virtual Reality but they gave a new meaning to it. The excuse is that we have to deliver a cure in the fastest possible way and the only person capable of doing it is the 9 times rally winner, Sebastien Loeb. Once with the VR headset on, we’ll be the copilot of the car and we’ll take part on a crazy race through the different landscapes of Alsace, from jungles to tarmac roads.

Source: futuroscope.com

In order to create all this, every person on the room will have a 6-axis moving seat and a VR headset. Effects like water and wind will help us to immerse on the experience. The movement of the simulator has been specifically coordinated with sensors on Loeb’s car so that can be 100% believable. Even the headset will have a sensor that we will able us to see our own hands holding the cure flask!

The story will be presented to us on a 700m2 preshow area with car and trophy exhibitions.

If we start talking about facts, the movie is 2:30min long and has a 6K resolution. The minimum height is 1,2 meters. At every show, 100 people will be able to experience the ride at once therefore the system is quite complex.

FryMedia has been the company in charge for the movie and a RED camera has been used. It will be a shop at the end of the ride.

As a fun fact, the seats of the new ride are made by Elipsis, manufacturer of the seats that Sebastien Loeb uses to train at home.

March 24th will be the press presentation and April 6th is the planned official opening date.

FUTURE PLANS

Since Futuroscope is in a continuous updating, the future new rides are starting to take shape.

For 2019 new kids rides and games are expected.

But for the good-experience seekers, we will have to wait until 2020, when a new rollercoaster will open where once the Sólido building stood. The foundation works are just about to begin and very little is known about this ride but as far as we know, it will feature an indoor and outdoor layout. The indoor portions will be dark-rideish. In the words of the communication manager, “it will be very ‘a la’ Futuroscope”, different from all we’ve seen. The minimum height will be 1,05 meters so it’s not expected to be an extreme rollercoaster. Despite that, I have to say that Dynamic Vienne, Arthur, The Time Machine and The Extraordinary Journey also have a 1,05 meters restriction but they’re excellent rides, so we’ll let Futuroscope work their magic and amaze us! 😛

Source: futuroscope.com

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